Shift
by ateebs
Summary: Tia's a seemingly normal woman, with a secret. She has no trouble concealing it until somebody new enters her life. TiaxNel, yuri On hiatus
1. Chapter 1

The woman looked no different from anyone else on the corner of Hawkins and Central. If anything, she was extraordinary in the way that she so completely blended with her surroundings. She was fairly attractive, but not overly so. Despite having pure blonde hair and startlingly blue eyes, she didn't have any truly distinctive features (say a missing leg or an extra eye).

As a matter of fact, there were a few more eye-catching characters on that street corner, who probably lived very dark and mysterious lives. But things are not always as they seem, and this woman was _far_ from ordinary.

She was a tall, fit woman who had the air of someone who like to take charge. Her black suit was spotless, the white shirt immaculately ironed. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her black heels clicked loudly on the concrete as she walked briskly to work.

After about 3 blocks, she turned into a tall glass building. A mousey girl with brown hair fell into steps with her as she walked.

"Files?" Harribel asked.

"Filed Mrs. Harribel," her assistant replied.

"And the Bordeaux case? Win?"

The assistant nodded, used to keeping up with Tia's fast-paced chatter.

"Lee and Associates?"

"Slam dunk."

They were temporarily blinded by a flashy orange suit. Tia sighed. The owner of the suit, a tall violet-haired woman stepped out from a cubicle. "Hey Tia!"

At the name, everybody in the room began to work twice as fast, or at least pretended to. This was not a coincidence. Tia Harribel was a lawyer, and at 25 was Fisher & Price's youngest lawyer to ever make partner. Tia, aware of the discomfort that she caused her co-workers, smiled a greeting at the woman then left quickly. The floor broke intimate hushed chatter as if someone had just taken them off of mute.

The rest of the day flew by, in a flurry of paper work and meetings, with her nameless assistant trailing behind her like a lost puppy. Before Tia knew it , she was at home on the couch lying down for a nap.

She woke up to a loud obnoxious knock on her door. Being newly woken, every sound was three times louder than usual. She opened the door grumpily. "What?"

It was Yoruichi, still sporting her bright red suit, with Tia's other best friend, Inoue. "Hey J," the latter started evenly. "If you're up to it, then maybe-"

"There's a buttload of booze in the car. Let's get shitfaced!" Yoruichi suggested eloquently.

"Can't," Tia said. "I'm going out." She turned to the mirror, closed her eyes, and focused. Her hands began to tremble. She opened her eyes and watched as her limbs became longer and more toned. Her face got longer and more chiseled, her hair crawled into her scalp in a backwards race until it clung to her head. Her breasts and butt flattened, and in the front her pants bulged a bit. No matter how many times that she shifted, the wonder never left her. It was as if she were staring at her twin brother (if she'd had one).

"You're really just going to leave after I _already_ brought the booze?" Yoruichi continued, unfazed, the alcohol her main concern.

Tia grabbed her keys and twirled them around he index finger. "Yup."Her voice was deeper, and fuller. She flashed them a sharp-toothed grin with her new, masculine face. "Make yourselves at home. See you." The door swung shut.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I had this chapter written perfectly (well the way I wanted it at least). Every sentiment was perfect, every detail relevant. Then I deleted it accidentally. So sorry, but here's the sloppy seconds guys (teehee).**

**Chapter 2. ****_Meeting_**

The destination that Tia was oh-so determined to reach was not a once-in-lifetime concert, or a inspiring seminar on world issues. It was, in fact, a small, seemingly abandoned disgrace of a club. The corners of the rooms were caked with dust, as if someone had been too lazy to get rid of the dirt in then floor, and had deposited it in the corners instead. The bartender was mediocre as best. There would be no bottle twirling or show boating from this man, not from lack of want, but simply because he couldn't do it.

But despite it dilapidated appearance, the club was a magnet to many people. Once you'd gone in there once, you'd always be tempted to return. This was what drew Tia in time after time.

She went to the nameless club to have fun, and let loose a bit. Contrary to the overly serious aura that she put out at work, Tia loved to dance. She'd learned, through a series of events that a man's experience at a club could be just as, or more fun, than a woman's.

She went there as a man to enjoy herself and even to compare the social differences between the treatment of men and women. _Nothing to do with women_, Tia reassured herself. _Nothing at all._

When she got to the club she was itching to dance, but sat down at the bar for a quick drink. This gave her an opportunity to look out at the people on the dance floor.

"There you go man," the bartender said amiably, putting her drink down on the bar. "Checking out the scene as usual eh?" Tia nodded. She wasn't big on talking. She scanned the crowd indifferently, noting a few familiar faces. Then her eyes froze, on a not so familiar face. In a record time of .06 seconds, her thoughts went from perfectly normal to extremely explicit.

The woman's hair was a mixture of sea green and sky blue, her eyes the color of a storm. Her body was perfection materialized into a woman's shape. Tia's eyes wandered from her sizable breasts to her round ass. All of the incoherent thoughts flying around in Tia's head solidified into one word. "_Damn_," she whispered.

"Calm down man," the bartender laughed. "I wouldn't usually interrupt someone like this, but I didn't want any drool on my floor." Tia turned back to the bar. "Thanks Kensei," she murmured, smiling sheepishly. It had only taken one looked, and she had done a complete 360.

_Fuck the differences in gender_, she decided wisely. She was stubborn, not stupid. She gathered whatever shreds of dignity that she had left and strode quickly onto the dance floor. She began wading though the sea of people towards the turquoise haired woman. This bounty was too tantalizing to pass up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach.

**For anyone who was spending their New Years Eve reading a fanfic, continue unashamed! After all, at least you weren't ****_writing_**** a fanfic like some losers haha. Anyway here's Chapter 3. Enjoy.**

* * *

Neliel Tu was _not_ having a good time. She'd never enjoyed the club scene much, especially without a drink or two to dull the experience. Rangiku had determined, through several nights spent driving around in a drunken state, that designated drivers were nothing more than an urban legend. Nel didn't even bother arguing, and instead became one of the world's few _self_-designated drivers.

As she swayed on the dance floor, arms often reached out, wrapping around her shoulders or encircling her waist. She would casually dance out of them, or tug out of them if necessary. There were also idiots who like to "bump into her" and hit more inappropriate areas.

After two hours of fending off fiends, and nonstop dancing, Nel was ready to go. As she tapped Rangiku, she felt a prickle on the back of her neck. She turned towards the origin of the stare, and locked eyes with the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen.

He was in a white t-shirt, which showcased well-toned arm and pecs. His dark skin shone, in direct contrast with his bright blonde hair. He sat, legs slightly splayed, elbow on the bar, the definition of relaxed. The only thing that showed her that he was interested in her were his eyes. They were startlingly blue, and were full of intensity and passion. She shivered a little from his gaze, then felt very foolish for letting a stare affect her so much.

She turned quickly, almost smacking face first into Rangiku's breasts. She stepped a few feet backwards, not wanting to be within hitting distance of them.

"What's got you so wound up?" Rangiku laughed, more than a little drunk. She followed the younger woman's line of gaze. "Oooh he's cute! You wouldn't think that ANYTHING on his face would work together but there you go." She glanced at Nell with a devious smile.

"He's staring," she noted, proceeding to grab a man and grind on his thigh, moaning loudly as she did so. Pants tented all over the dance floor, and every pair of eyes were on the writhing woman, except one.

"RANGIKU!" Nel whispered furiously, grabbing her arm. "Are you TRYING to get us killed by a mob of angry women?"

"There was only one man not staring at me right then, NEL. Guess who?" Laughing, she danced off into the crowd, grabbing a man to dance with. He went with the orange-haired beauty very willingly.

"Hey don't leave me..." The man in the white shirt began walking towards her. "...alone?" He walked quickly, pushing people when necessary, even breaking through couples, while keeping his eyes on hers the whole time. Nel closed her eyes briefly, to center herself and slow her breathing.

She heard a soft "hello?" and almost had a heart attack. She opened her eyes to see the most brilliant green-blue ones. "Hi, my name's Uryuu," he said, smiling slightly.

"Nel," she breathed.

"Want to dance?"

* * *

As she approached, Tia noticed that the beautiful woman had closed her eyes. She decided to give her a bit of a scare. She bent down, until they were eye to eye, their faces perfectly aligned. She was suddenly faced with a pair of stormy greys. She let herself get lost in them, caught in her own trap. She came to her senses after a few seconds, feeling like an actor who'd missed their cue.

"Hey," she said. "My name's Uryuu." She paused.

"Nel," Nel replied. Her voice was a steady soprano that Tia loved instantly.

"Want to dance?" She smiled a bit, pleased that she'd managed the sentence. As stated earlier, talking was not Tia's forté.

"Sure," Nel beamed at her, attracting Tia's gaze to her lips. They were full and pink, glistening with gloss. Tia ripped her gaze away from them, determine not to tempt herself into doing something stupid.

She placed her hands on waist as Nel wrapped her arms around her neck. They swayed for a bit, awkwardly clinging to each other while still keeping a couple feet between them.

Suddenly Tia felt herself being pushed forward by an unusually obnoxious dancer. Flashes of reddish-orange hair whipped past her face as she was nudged closer and closer to Nel. Soon the lengths of their bodies were pressed together.

Tia was busy repressing her impulses. Nel, on the other hand, wanted to know more about this mystery man. Since the music was blasting on the dance floor, she leaned in close to Tia's ear and murmured, "So, what do you do?"

Tia jerked back, not ready for the simultaneous attacks of breasts on her chest, and Nel's voice in her ear. Heat rushed through her body, a mixture of arousal and embarrassment. Still, Tiakrpt her cool, leaning towards Nel's ear with a smirk. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Nel pouted with a comically upset face, pushing out her lips and lowering her eyebrows. Perhaps it was her new body making her impulsive, but Tia didn't even bother trying to stop herself. Closing her eyes, she leaned down and pressed her lips over Nel's, moving her hand from her waist to the to the back of her head. Nel hesitated, then began moving her lips against Tia's. They kissed gently, like two strangers shaking hands, getting to know each other lips. after an eternity, Nel broke away.

Tia blushed. "Sorry," she apologized sheepishly, glancing at Nel from under her bangs. "I couldn't resist."

"It's fine," Nel replied, hugging Tia as if to reassure her that contact was okay. Her breasts pushed against Tia's chest. This damn body, Tia thought.

"I have to go!" Tia blurted. Nel's face fell, then morphed into a small smile when she saw "Uryuu" scribbling something onto the back of a business card.

"Hey um feel free to text or call if you..." She struggled through the sentence, pausing often. Nel smiled, taking the card.

"Yeah."

Tia walked quickly out into the cold night. She tightened her coat hoping to keep the cold out, and her throbbing erection hidden.


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, so I got writer's block. For me this doesn't mean that I ****_can't _****write, I just can't right what I want to write about. So here's sort of a place holder, just sort of an explanatory little conversation between Yoruichi and Tia. Sorry for this little spiel, but there might be a few more before the real story changer, so please bear with me for a bit guys. Feel free to review, actually please do.**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

* * *

"Okay what the hell is up with you?" Yoruichi asked, slamming her hand down on Tia's desk. Tia kept doing paper work calmly, not even bothering to look up.

"We're at work, Yoruichi, talk to me at home."

"Well I _would_ ask you at home, but you've been avoiding me and Rangiku for like the past month!"

Tia looked up, and saw from her expression that Yoruichi was seriously angry. She sighed and went over to close the door. As soon as the lock clicked into place, Tia went into gossip mode. If you are not familiar with GM, a few of the symptoms are talkativeness, hyperactivity, and giggles. Yoruichi, recognizing the transformation, opted to put her anger behind her, and leaned forward to listen instead.

"Do you remember that club that you always make fun of?"

"The renovated shack, of course, yeah." Yoruichi nodded.

"I was hanging out there about a month ago, but wasn't really feeling like _myself_, if you know what I mean?"

Yoruichi's eyes widened. "You mean you were-" she mouthed the last two words. "-a guy?"

Tia nodded. "And see, I met this woman, and got sort of caught up. I let my guard down for a second, then we were dancing and my name was Uryuu."

"Wait, Uryuu from Computer Science class in high school? Creepy glasses guy Uryuu?" She bent over Tia's desk, dying of laughter. "Please don't tell me that you looked like him too?"

"No way!" Tia exclaimed. "I looked like me, but you know, manly. I knew it couldn't work but-" She threw her hands up helplessly. "Here I am."

Yoruichi's look softened, and she reached out to reassure Tia, then was hit with a thought. "Wait, so does this mean that you're a lesbian now? Because you ain't gettin' any of this!" She slapped her ass, giving Tia a sultry look.

Tia laughed, pushing her away. "Good because I don't want any. I'm probably just bisexual or something. Or it might just be Nel. Around her I just can't seem to control myself."

"You mean unable to _cunt_rol yourself?!" Yoruichi burst in to laughter.

"Seriously, Yoruichi!" Tia exclaimed, determined to tell everything now that she'd gotten started. "In this past month she's gotten a _lot_ more daring, and if I don't stay focused sometimes I start reverting back."

"What do you mean?" Yoruichi asked in a hushed whisper.

"Well we'll be dancing, she'll start grinding on me, or doing other things, I think that it might be harder to control my sex drive as a man, because I get turned on a lot faster and more intensely." Tia blushed, but continued with the explanation. "Then, during said arousal, I'll notice myself getting shorter, or my hair getting longer, and I have to focus like crazy to maintain my form."

"So basically, when she turns you on, you lose control of your form?" Yoruichi clarified.

"Exactly."

"I want to meet her," Yoruichi decided.

"What?" Tia asked, incredulous. "How are you going to help with this?"

"I'm not," Yoruichi smirked. "I just want to meet the woman who can get Tia Harribel all hot and bothered."


	5. Chapter 5

"Let's dance."

Nel look up from her drink, and immediately regretted it. Who she was looking at was truly the most unattractive man that she'd ever seen. He was tall, but grossly overweight. His small, greedy eyes were sunken into his skull. He reminded her of a rat as he stood there, licking his thin lips in a manner that was obviously meant to be sexy.

But there was something more about him. Nel had been hit on by men she hadn't been attracted to before, but there was a difference this time. There was something about this man with his cocky personality and wandering eyes that repulsed Nel. "Oh the name's Oemada, by the way."

"No thanks, I'm actually waiting on someone." She smiled, hoping that he'd take the hint, but had no such luck.

"So we'll stop when he gets here," Oemada smiled, grabbing her arm and pulling her up from her chair. "Besides, in time I think you'll realize that there's no one you'd rather be dancing with than me."

* * *

Tia scanned the room for Nel. She was usually waiting at the bar, but she wasn't there today. Tia began to grow a little worried, then reassured herself that Nel was careful. There was no way that she'd come to harm getting here.

_Or maybe she just doesn't want to be with a guy who can't tell her anything about himself_, a rather rude part of Tia's mind suggested. Tia grew a little doubtful of herself. Maybe her thoughts were right, and Nel had gotten tired of dancing with a walking question mark.

She glanced back at the bar one last time, and this time caught a glimpse of turquoise hair around the edge of a _very_ wide back. A wave of relief washed over her, then one of anger.

The man was holding onto Nel's arm, even though she was obviously rejecting him. Tia walked over to them quickly, just in time to hear the man say, "There's no one you'd rather be dancing with than me."

Tia's blood boiled. "I'm pretty sure that she'd rather dance with anyone _but_ you actually," she said, in a surprisingly calm voice.

Nel's eyes shot to Tia's and softened, relieved. Tia felt a rush of warmth go through her body. Oemada did not notice any of the small exchange going on beside him. He _did_, however, feel his dominance being threatened, and tightened his grip on Nel's arm.

"Can't you see we're talking here?" He said, using his body fat to exclude Tia from their conversation. The growing crowd ooh'd dramatically, chatter breaking out in the dimly lit corners of the room.

"That's too bad," Tia retorted, grabbing his arm and applying pressure until he was forced to let go. She looked straight at him, her eyes challenging him. "Because she's mine."

Women swooned in the crowd, while a couple of feminists muttered of the oppression of women, and ownership that men claimed. But even they had to admit that male Tia cut an impressive figure, glaring down at Oemada with utter disdain, daring him to fight back. The crowd turned and glared at Oemada, who realized that he was now cast as the villain of the situation. He backed away muttering, "She's not even that hot anyway. I was just bored."

Tia didn't pursue him, feeling no need to embarrass him further than she already had. Kensei, making his first appearance in a long time, nodded his head in approval, as his respect for the mysterious man grew.

Tia led Nel over to the bar by the hand, trying to ignore the fact that she was now the center of attention, and hoping that the story would fade quickly. The last thing she needed was rumors about her male form spreading through the city. She thought back to what she'd said, and couldn't believe that she'd actually said that out loud. She wondered what Nel had thought of it. Was she embarrassed?

"Sorry about what I said back there," Tia apologized. She ran a hand through her hair, and blew out some air awkwardly, a bit embarrassed herself. "Heat of the battle I guess."

She felt a small hand join with hers, and looked down to a smiling Nel. "I'm okay with being yours," Nel said playfully, unaware of the havoc that her words were causing in Tia's heart. "Besides, you were pretty cool back there." She winked.

"Super cool," a voice agreed behind Tia. Yoruichi wrapped her arms around Tia from behind. Nel's eyes widened, taking in the violet-haired beauty that had just burst into the conversation.

Tia sighed. " Yoruichi, Nel. Nel, this woman with the_ horrible timing_, is my best friend since high school, Yoruichi."

"Hi," Nel smiled at Yoruichi, her gaze fixed on the woman's arms, which were still still wrapped around Tia's stomach. Yoruichi patted out a rhythm on Tia's abs, unaware of the other woman's stare.

"Nice to meet you!" she beamed. "I've heard so much about you. You're just as hot as described, I'm pleased to say!"

"Oh really?" Nel raised an eyebrow at Tia, who had her usual embarrassed expression on, but this time with a bit of annoyance.

"Could you get your boobs off my head?" she asked, a pained expression on her face. "You're making my neck hurt."

"You know you like it," Yoruichi replied, shaking her sizable breasts from sided to sided against Tia's head.

"Ow, my god get them off!" Tia yelled through her laughter. She managed to get ahold of one of them, pushing it out of hitting range. By this time they had both forgotten that Tia was in man form, and were playing as if they were a couple of women.

"You guys really are _close_," Nel said through gritted teeth, bringing them back to reality. Tia looked at her carefully, mystified as to why she looked so strained now, when she had just been fine a minute ago. Yoruichi, on the other hand, knew exactly what was going on.

"Actually, I'm feeling like some dancing right now," she said, rushing off onto the dance floor with a quick wink at Nel.

"I thought she wanted to talk to you," Tia muttered, a bit slow on the uptake.

Nel gave a relieved smile, glad that Tia didn't realize that she was already jealous of another woman in "his" life.

"She was nice," she stated simply.

Tia leaned in and met Nel's lips with her own in a short kiss. She then gestured toward the dance floor and looked at Nel questioningly. Seeing Nel's nod of approval, she grabbed her hand, and led her into the crowd.

Apparently Nel had decided to try something new today, turning her back to Tia and wrapping her arms around her neck, while Tia cautiously placed her own around Nel's waist. A red flag went off in Tia's head, warning her that this was a dangerous maneuver. She stiffened, about to back away, when Nel did a half-turn, and caught her lips in a slow, sweet kiss. Tia was hooked.

She broke off the kiss, heading for Nel's sensitive neck, and a left trail of kisses down to where neck and shoulder met. Nel turned her head deliberately and let out a quiet moan, meant for Tia's ears only. Tia felt herself getting wet and attacked Nel's neck with a fervor that she hadn't known that she'd had.

Then she paused, hoping that she hadn't felt what she thought she'd felt. _Wet?_ she thought to herself. She looked down and affirmed that something essential was missing, and panicked. Nel was bound to notice any second with all the grinding that she was doing.

"I have to go," Tia gasped into Nel's ear, her voice an octave higher than it had been moments ago. Nel, however, was too drunk and too enamored to notice.

"Where do you go?" Nel asked, too curious for tact anymore. At that moment, Tia doubled over, dry heaves racking her body.

"Are you okay?" Nel's eyebrows knitted together with worry.

"Fine," Tia replied, stumbling toward the exit, struggling to stay upright. Nel followed closely behind, her kindness rendering her unable to abandon the man, not when he was like this at least.

If Tia had been in a completely lucid state of mind, she might've stayed in her manly form until she was further away than a few steps from the club. Unfortunately, Tia had been drinking that night, not to mention the blazing headache and dry heaves that she was experiencing at the moment. So, it was fair to say that she was most certainly _not_ lucid. Being in such an unstable state of mind, she reverted back to her original form as soon as she was out of the club, leaving her to fumble for an explanation as she ran face first into Nel.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm pretty happy with my first fanfiction. Even without the reviews, I know that people are reading, and hopefully enjoying the story. I'm trying to keep the characters matched to their personalities as well as possible, and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

**Chapter 6. W****_onder_**

It had been two days with no sign of Nel. With no evidence of their relationship, Tia could almost believe that Nel had been a dream, if not for lingering sentiments and memories that she struggled to immortalize. A confusing mixture of guilt, relief, and sadness kept invading her body. She struggled to embody it, and finally settled on getting her hair cut, a constant reminder of the woman that she'd loved.

_You're being a hopeless romantic_, the side of her brain containing her common sense commented drily._ It's Monday tomorrow._

Tia sighed. Monday meant work and life and the facing the real world again. She contemplated playing hooky, but only because she knew that she would never do it. She arrived at work unfailingly every day. But how could she act normal on Monday when everything had changed so suddenly? It was as if someone had shown her the sun for a short second, then taken it away just as quickly.

_And now you're creating sappy metaphors?_, her rational side exclaimed, disgusted.

She lay back on her pillow, wondering what Nel was doing now. Was she frantically flipping through phone books, trying to find a trace of the man that she'd thought she knew? Tia thought back to her interactions with Nel, sweeping for mistakes, but found none. Her tracks had been covered perfectly, with no information revealed. Nel couldn't find her, if she even wanted to. Tia mulled over that thought, trying to decide if it made her happy, or unbearably sad.

* * *

Nel sat in her apartment, a white slip in paper in her hand. She didn't know what to believe, and honestly wasn't even sure of what she'd seen. All she had to link her to the man who'd stolen her heart were a club, and the business card (given in Chapter 3 if you don't remember) in her hand. She flipped it over to read the front for the umpteenth time.

"Tia Harribel," she murmured. "Who are you?"


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is a little rushed, but I really wanted to get it out there for Mr. Scary face (thanks for getting me out of writer's block, by the way) and anyone else interested in my story. Enjoy.**

* * *

Tia glanced at her reflection one last time, brushing her newly shortened hair into place. She passed a tanned hand over her face with a sigh, then headed out the door. It was strange, she'd never been this apprehensive about work before, but she just couldn't shake the haunted feeling that shadowed her heart.

She arrived at the law firm and strode into the lobby, more confident now that she was in her natural habitat. There was nothing more calming to her than a reliable routine. She glanced over at her assistant as she fell into step with her.

"Are the meetings organized?" Tia asked her.

The woman nodded. "They're set for 10 and 2, but there's an issue. A, well, a walk-in client, I guess I'd call it."

Tia glanced at the woman beside her in pure disbelief. "I'm partner. You need an appointment just to say bless you when I sneeze! Who would-"

She stopped short at the sight of turquoise hair. Though her brain was denying that this was happening, her eyes kept sending her the image of Nel standing there, so out of place in the strict firm.

"That's her," the assistant clarified unnecessarily, with a small knowing smile on her face.

Tia snapped out of it, realizing that she was staring. "It's alright this is fine. I'll go have a talk with this... client. If I'm not back by 9:15, reschedule my 10 o clock would you um..."

"Unohana," the capable woman smiled. "I'd be happy to."

Tia nodded, a bit embarrassed at not knowing her own assistant's name, but kept her eyes on the prize. She headed over to Nel, carefully running through the lies that she'd memorized in case this happened. She stopped right behind her, unable to resist giving her a little scare.

"Hi," said quietly into Nel's ear. Nel whirled, her eyes wide. "I'm Tia Harribel."

* * *

Nel was confused. Walking beside her was basically the female version of the man she'd begun falling in love with. She was unsure exactly how this made her feel. This woman had the same easy confidence and expressive silence as him, but also a sense also grace and dignity that he hadn't possessed. She too had made the unlikely combination of blonde hair and dark skin look more than attractive on her.

"So how did you end up here?" Tia asked, interrupting Nel's thoughts. Nel blushed, wondering where they had been headed.

"Well I was given this number, and when I looked on the back, there was your name,"she replied with an awkward little laugh. "The man who gave it to me actually looked a lot like you."

"My brother," Tia replied, too quickly. "We're twins. I told him to give them to people who need legal representation, that idiot."

"Oh," Nel said eloquently. "Then that day when I ran into you, at least I think it was you, your hair was long then. But you look like you. Or you look how you did when I saw you at the club."

She stopped and collected her thoughts. "Why were you there?"

"Well Uryuu texted me to come pick him up, he was super drunk, and right when I get there I see him rushing out onto the sidewalk. So I get out to stop him, and then you plowed into me, and I ran. Do you want to eat?"

"Eat?" Nel asked, thrown off by the sudden subject change. The change in character was strange for her too, Uryuu had never talked so much, and she still halfway saw them as the same person.

"To grab some breakfast, I mean. Have you eaten?" Tia began listing the different restaurants nearby, while Nel nodded. Suddenly, Tia stopped talking and made a sharp turn, placing her hand on the small of Nel's back to lead her away as well. A small spark of electricity ran through Nel's body, making her shiver for a second. As they turned, she caught a glimpse of a large body, and a ratty face. Oemada.

She was suddenly sure of her thinking without even having a definite reason for it. "I knew it. You're him."

It wasn't a question. Tia stepped back, a panicked look flashing across her face before it settled into disbelief. "W-what are you talking about? You're trying to say that I'm my brother? That's ridi-"

"Cut the crap," Nel spat at her, suddenly close, her eyes stony. She looked up into Tia's eyes and let her own soften deliberately. "Could you just, for one second, stop this reel of lies that you've been throwing at me, and just tell me the truth?"

Tia sighed, and scratched the back of her head. "Fine. How do I say this..." She told the story starting that first day at work to now, excepting a few key parts like her feelings and various bodily reactions that she'd had to Nel.

Nel listened carefully, then thought about it carefully while Tia stared anxiously. She finally asked, "What was it to you?"

"Huh?" Tia replied, taken aback.

"Well did you ever plan on telling me any of this?" Nel asked furiously. "Was this just something to do for fun on a Friday or what? Just shapeshift into hot guys and manipulate people? You must not even respect me as person, to play with me like this."

She began to storm away, when a hand grabbed her arm. She whirled around, ready to attack again when she felt herself suddenly engulfed in warmth. Tia wrapped her arms more tightly around the smaller woman, as if she'd never let go, then murmured into her ear.

"Nothing was a game. I do respect you, and more than that I really-"

At that moment Nel heard another familiar voice. "Hey Tia you better get to work it's almost 9. Oh yeah and tell your _brother Uryuu_ that I say hi will you?"

"Thanks Yoruichi," Tia muttered quietly, as she and Nel took a step back in unison, faces on fire. She looked back towards Nel, who seemed now unable to look her in the eye. "You have my number Nel. I hope that we can be friends or something. And Nel?"

Nel looked up, meeting Tia's laughing eyes. "You called me a hot guy."

"Shut up," she replied, smiling, and trying not to imagine how being an "or something" would be.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

* * *

"She just looked in your eyes and you tell her _everything_?," Yoruichi asked incredulously. "She manipulated the hell out of you!"

Tia raised an eyebrow. "This from the person who got drunk and got stuck being a stripper for like a month?"

Yourichi thought for a second. "Touché."

Orihime, who'd just been caught up, followed their easy banter with wide eyes. She was by far the slowest thinker of the group, and had to work to keep up with them sometimes. She did, however, know romance, being happily married to her long-time crush Ichigo Kurosaki. So between her two best friends, Tia knew who to talk to about matters of the heart.

"This Nel sounds great," she stated optimistically. "I don't think she _meant_ to manipulate you."

A grateful, and somewhat relieved smile spread across Tia's face. "Me neither."

The waiter cleared his throat, interrupting the close moment that the two had been enjoying. He looked strange, with a white shock of hair and an extremely youthful face with a _very_ moody look on it. He spoke awkwardly, a bit taken aback by such beautiful women.

"What can I get for you ladies today?" he asked, in a tone that one might use for an annoying little brother.

"I'll take the pancakes," Orihime began. "But is it possible to get bits of bacon and olives actually put inside of the pancakes? Okay, do that. And some chocolate syrup would be great, thanks."

"And you two?" he asked the others after a lengthy pause that he spent looking at Orihime like she was a retard.

"A number seven please," Tia said.

"The same please," Yoruichi said, closing her menu and putting it down on the table. Tia stared at her in shock as the boy walked away.

"What?" Yoruichi asked.

"You didn't say something sexual, or even vaguely inappropriate."

"Even I have to take a break sometimes," Yoruichi laughed. She then winked and leaned forward onto the table, lowering her voice to a purr. "If you want me to talk dirty to you just ask Tia."

They all laughed for a bit, then Yoruichi face widened into an evil grin.. "But honestly, I saw this girl running the other day, on 5th, by the park, you know where? She was so tiny, but she's a tough one, that's for sure. Breaking her will be fun I think."

Tia opened her mouth to tell Yoruichi that she had just won Best Future Rapist, then snapped it shut again suddenly with the appearance of that telltale turquoise hair. How did this woman keep sneaking up on her?

"Nel," she said, turning her name into a greeting. She tried to hide the shock and pleasure she got from running into her.

"Hey, I got your text and decided to just come right over," Nel smiled. Tia tilted her head, confused. She had left her phone at Yoruichi's house days ago. Suddenly everything made sense, and she shot Yoruichi a look that said "thank you, but don't _ever_ do this again".

She then turned to Nel and smiled, a real smile that reached her eyes. The other woman's face got red, and the smile disappeared, replaced with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Nel squeaked out, looking around the table for a way to change the topic. She stopped dead when she saw Orihime. "Rangiku?"

Orihime clapped and giggled. "Sado? I love the name game! Your turn Tia!"

Nel laughed at the woman's joke, then realized that she was serious. "Oh no, I thought you were someone I know, sorry."

Orihime's face fell. "Oh. Well I'm Orihime."

The rest of the meal went smoothly, the ice having been effectively broken. The four chattered meaninglessly, Yoruichi about her new target, Nel about college, and Orihime about Ichigo and their marriage. Tia let it all flow past her, doing her best to react appropriately and not seem like a lovestruck idiot in front of Nel. Before she knew it, it was time to leave.

"It was really nice eating with you guys," Nel said with a smile. Tia wondered when she would see her again. She, unlike Yoruichi, did not have the nerve to casually hit her up like that.

"You should come to Tia's surprise party next week," Yoruichi suggested. "But it's at her flat, so we had to ask her to use it first."

Nel glanced over at Tia, who was making a face, having just remembered that she was having a party. "Maybe I shouldn't..."

"No," Tia burst out anxiously. "I mean, I would really like it if you would come, if you want to of course."

"Well I'd be happy to come then," Nel replied excitedly. "It's been a while since I've been to a friend's party."

"I'll text you my address then." They said their goodbyes and headed home, Orihime one way, Nel in the other, and Yoruichi and Tia to their part of the city. Tia wondered why she couldn't string together intelligent sentences anymore. They walked silently for a bit, passing six homeless men before Yoruichi spoke up.

"She likes you."

"She really doesn't. Did you see how she added a sentence just so she could say the word friend? Besides, we're _just_ friends now. It's better than nothing, and I am _not_ messing it up."

"But Tee-_UH_," Yoruichi pouted.

"We're friends," Tia said, more for herself than anyone else.

* * *

The party was three days away and Nel was panicking. She didn't even know what kind of party it was. Yoruichi had mentioned lawyers, so would it be like an office party? Was this a suit occasion? But Yoruichi had planned it, which obviously meant that it wouldn't be a tame party. After three hours of agonizing it, she decided to call someone over.

"Thanks for coming Soi Fon," Nel said, relieved. "So what the hell do you wear to a partner's birthday party?"

"I am not sure," Soi replied in a disinterested voice. "Is he like uptight?"

Many people would've taken that tone offensively, but Nel knew better. She had attempted repeatedly to make friends with the mysterious foreign exchange student when she'd realized that they'd had a class in common. Once she'd gotten to know her a little more, Soi Fon had opened up to her, and they'd become fast friends.

"Um, it's a she," Nel said distractedly, flipping through clothes. Her apartment was her closet, so she was flitting all around the room as she talked.

"A woman?" Soi asked with a new tone of respect in her voice. "How old is she turning like forty?"

"Twenty-six I think she said," Nel frowned, considering a green top for a second before throwing it to the ground.

"Your friend is _Tier Harribel_?" Soi Fon exclaimed, jumping up from her seated position.

"Do you... know her?" Nel hesitated, not sure what was going on.

"Well I know _of_ her. Every law student does," Nel enthused. "She's a freaking genius, that graduated highschool when she was like, _two_, and became the youngest female partner in the _world_. You _have_ to take me with you to this party! How do you even know her?"

Nel paused to think. "Well I. We. She and I. Um. I don't remember?"

Soi Fon wondered if she should pursue the pathetically obvious lie, but decided not to, in case she jeopardized her chances of going to the party. "I don't even care right now, please please _please_ take me!"

Nel smiled at the immensely prideful Chinese girl begging her for something. "Sure," she answered. "Now help me find the perfect outfit, it's in three days!"

* * *

**I already had the main thing in mind, but I needed something in between for a smooth transition you know? Next chapter is when the real action starts. Thanks the the reviews, and please continue to. I'd love to know what my readers think.**


	9. Chapter 9

Tia wasn't sure what kind of time she was having. Nel had arrived about an hour ago, with a friend, but she hadn't seen her since. The friend that she brought seemed determined not to get sucked into the party atmosphere, and kept asking Tia about her experiences as partner.

Tia was happy to answer questions about work, which she'd always loved. She also glad to have found a kindred spirit in this serious woman, and had fun talking to her. She just couldn't help but inquire about Nel's relationship to the woman, just to make sure. She was answering a particularly complex question about the nuances of cross examination when Yoruichi dragged her away.

"What are you doing?" she yelled over the music.

"That's the girl!" Yoruichi hissed through her teeth.

"Huh? What are you-"

"The one on 5th, the running one? You know 'breaking her seems fun' girl? I'm going to go talk to her!" Tia remembered now. Yoruichi was uncharacteristically nervous though. It made her wonder, but she kept her thoughts to herself. She smiled, knowing that the Chinese woman was in for a wild night.

"Go for it," she encouraged. Soi Fon was already headed her way, and Yoruichi quickly moved forward to intercept her.

If anyone could loosen that her up it was Yoruichi. Tia thought about that for a moment, then sent Yoruichi a text. _Don't do it here again. Take that somewhere else._

Yoruichi would know was she meant.

She cut through the improvised dance floor, which was actually just the large empty space between her kitchen and living room. She felt an arm drape over her shoulders.

"One step closer to menopause, T," a voice drawled. He laughed loudly at his own joke. Only once person would choose such a pointlessly offensive way to say happy birthday.

"Thanks Ichigo," Tia replied. She had never really liked the guy in high school, but had grown to love him like a brother once he'd started dating Orihime. Once she knew him better she'd realized that he was determined and hard working. He'd managed to work into a high post in the New York Police Department. Orihime was perfect for him, calming and supportive, but not controlling or overbearing.

"How's work?" she asked, not only out of courtesy, but also because his stories were usually very interesting.

"Stress, man you know?" he slurred. He was pretty drunk, Tia realized. Since when had the been bartender gotten to the party? She had to go get herself a drink.

"New group on the streets," he continued bitterly. "Call themselves Hollows. But sleep soundly tonight knowing that, that Ishigo Kuroshaki is on the case!"

"I'll do that," she replied, already winding through the crowd. She just followed the soberness gradient and, sure enough, the most sober people were at the bar getting more to drink. She was yelling her order at the bartender when he turned, and stopped short.

"U...ryuu?" Kensei asked, confused. She grabbed a couple of other peoples' drinks and hurried away. She quickly became accustomed to her gig as a drink thief, plucking people's favorite drinks from where they sat and leaving them confused.

She tried to monitor herself. She didn't want to get completely drunk here. Some of these people were still her colleagues, after all. Unfortunately, over the course of two hours, she drank a bit more than she originally meant to.

She decided to lie down for a bit, then come back outside for whatever else was planned for the night. She stumbled to her room, slamming the door behind her, and was very surprised to find Nel in her room, in a similar condition.

"I was looking for bathroom," Nel murmured irritably. Her dress was very short, and very low cut. Tia had the resist the urge to use her superior height to her advantage. Even without craning her neck, she could still see most of Nel's tantalizing breasts. She licked her lips.

"Down the hall, first door on the left," Tia replied, her voice a bit huskier now. Nel started towards the door. Tia ogled her shamelessly as she strode towards the door, her eyes on that perfect ass. Then they moved up, taking in the rest. The dress was backless, and there was no bra strap in sight. Tia gasped for air, trying to remember how to breathe. Suddenly Nel stopped, and turned back to Tia.

"Hey, do you like Soi Fon?" she asked nonchalantly. Even though she'd asked casually, she was slightly flushed, and it didn't seem to be the alcohol. Tia chose her words carefully.

"Of course I do," Tia replied. Nel inhaled sharply. "She's your friend." Nel released the breath, stepping forward, too close for comfort. She looked a strange mixture of embarrassed and confident.

"I mean-" She took another step until they were practically nose to nose. She was bright red by now, but her lips were very pink, and glistening from faint light from the party, long forgotten by Tia "-do you like her like you like me?"

Tia tilted her head and shot back, "And what makes you think that I like you?" Her lips parted in a crooked smile, a challenge. Nel's breath caught at the smile, and she blushed harder and backed away. Tia ducked her head, disappointed.

She began to open her mouth to apologize, just as Nel stepped forward, crushing those pink lips against her own. She paused for a second in shock, than began kissing back. Nel pushed her up against the wall, becoming more fervent now, then pulled away abruptly. "Just a hunch."

Tia reversed their positions, with Nel now against the wall. She thought about producing another witty comment to dominate the conversation as well, but decided to lose the battle in order to win the war. Tia sucked on those sweet lips for a bit, then turned her head to deepen the kiss, sliding out her tongue to pry Nel's mouth open.

Nel parted her lips happily, eager to taste her. The feel of the kiss, and thought of the woman on the other end caused Nel to moan into the kiss, then blush a couple of shades darker. Her legs were shaking and it was all she could do just to remain standing. Tia, somehow realizing this, backed into the chair in the corner. Nel settled willingly onto her lap and moaned again, all sense of self control gone now.

While kissing, Nel's body convulsed into a series of small shivers. It was suddenly freezing. Why? She looked down to see her breasts, completely bare, hard nipples already hard. Tia flashed her another mischievous grin before taking a nipple into her mouth.

A jolt of pure pleasure raced through her body as the wet tongue circled her nipple. _I'll have a slippery nipple_, she thought, triggering a string of giggles that was quickly interrupted. Tia bit down slightly, gaining a loud moan from the woman. Nel felt warmth pooling between her thighs, and hoped to god that Tia didn't. She groaned as she felt a hand squeeze her breast, and whined in anticipation when she felt a hand brush over her abdomen, and continue downward. "Uryuu," she gasped.

Tia froze, the ministrations stopping a quickly as they had began. She lifted the woman off of her lap and stood up. Nel sat on the floor, her breasts rising and falling with heavy breathing. "Tia-" Nel started in a pleading voice.

"You should stay here until tomorrow, you're too drunk to drive," Tia said, in a cold tone that Nel had never heard before. "Then you can leave."

"Tia," Nel tried again, as the door swung shut. Nel sat there for a while, not wanting to chase after Tia with her face flushed, and lips swollen. She finally crawled into the bed. _Tia's bed_, a stray thought flashed through her mind. Despite feeble protests from her reason, her mind flashed through several scenarios of what Tia did in there.

She lay awake in the bed for a long time, caught between crushing guilt and extreme horniness. How she could still be turned on, she didn't know, but she didn't think she'd be able to sleep for a long time. The clock read 3:47 when she finally drifted off to a drunken chorus of happy birthday.

* * *

**Finally! My first lemon (the best I could do)! I was so excited to write this chapter, I practically peed my pants. I finished this one before the last, but then spent like a week trying to revise it while I wrote the other. I finished today on the 27th, so I'll try to leave room for suspense and whatnot, but I might not be able to, I'm pretty damn excited :) please enjoy and review**


	10. Chapter 10

Nel groaned as she sat up to the sight of an unfamiliar room. It was all white, with only a few paintings for decoration. _Heaven?_, she thought for a quick second before dismissing the thought. There weren't pounding headaches in Heaven. She groaned, and grabbed her head in an attempt stop the room from spinning.

A twisting motion in her stomach sent her stumbling towards a white door on the farthest wall. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the porcelain bowl. She knelt in front of the toilet, heaving helplessly until she'd finally emptied herself out. _Why the hell do I keep drinking_, she complained inwardly, groaning again.

She was slowing lifting herself off of the floor when her eyes landed on a crisp slip of paper on the counter of the sink. She lifted it into her line of sight, the rustle of paper causing her to wince. It read:

_Nel,_

_You are free to use the shower here, or in the guest room. I've left you some clothes on the sink counter. There is a key in the vase by the door. Feel free to see yourself out when you've finished cleaning yourself up._

_Tia_

It wasn't the most loving note that Nel had ever received. But, as she stripped, she breathed a relieved sigh that it hadn't been written in furious, bitter tone that she'd expected. She stepped into the shower absentmindedly, the heat of the water bringing some life back into her.

As she glanced around the shower, she noted the towel hanging on a bar in the shower. She connected the dots slowly. This was not the guest room. This was Tia's room. Tia's bathroom. She was in Tia's shower. Where Tia-

Nel bent over, covering her reddening face with her hands. If she hadn't been sure that she was attracted to the charismatic woman before, she was now. Had she followed that train of thought a bit further, and let her hands travel a bit farther, she probably never could've faced Tia again without blushing.

She finished showering quickly and mechanically, eager to escape this conductor of dirty thoughts. She slipped on the clothes, not realizing that she'd casually put on clothes worth of ten of her phone. She was preoccupied, thinking of how to face Tia, then decided not to.

Tia unfolded the lined paper that had been lying on the table. It read:

_Tia,_

_I've been trying so hard to dance around the topic of us. But looks like my drunken self is braver than my regular self at confronting things. I really hope that you're not angry, even though I don't see how you couldn't be. I'm sort of getting ahead of myself. Basically, I like you a lot. Both of you. Or just you I guess. I mean I still have some trouble remembering that you're not Uryuu, but then I shouldn't treat you like him. But you are him. Or he's you. And I like you. A lot. Too much to be friends anymore I think. I just can't stop thinking about you romantically. Oh who am I kidding I mean sexually. Oh my god I just wrote that. Look I just like you okay, so just disregard the rest of that please, and if you can still forgive me, call me or text me._

_Nel_

Tia chuckled at the awkward feel of the letter, and Nel's unapologetic way of apologizing. Her brain began to hurt as she too tried to figure out where Uryuu ended and she began, and why she saw them as two different people. "I was jealous of myself," she realized aloud, frowning at her own stupidity.

She promptly picked up the phone, a smile spreading across her face as she dialed. "Hello? Nel? Yeah, it's me."

* * *

**I'm sorry that I took such a long time between chapters. I've been trying to figure out where I'm going with this story. I've sort of lost sight of where I'm headed along the way. I'll do my best to write, but I'll have to figure this out myself before writing a decisively good chapter. For those still reading, thanks for sticking around. **


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

**Sorry about the wait guys, I've finally decided to just start writing short chapters again so I can put them out more quickly, as I'm a very busy person (video games etc.), so hopefully I can put the other half of this chapter up by the weekend. Thanks for sticking with the story and enjoy.**

* * *

Nel was about to burst. She racked her head for ideas while absentmindedly tugging on a loose thread on her jeans. She's been excited, and eager when Tia had called her the day she'd left the note, and had suggested that they go to the park to talk. But now that her plan had actually come to fruition, she had no idea what to say.

We're taking a walk in the park, she thought. That's fairly romantic. Should I grab her hand? Does she expect me to? Are we even going out? Oh crap it's been 5 minutes since we've said anything. What should I say? Wow, she's-

"Pretty," Nel breathed unconsciously. Tia tilted her head towards her in a questioning manner.

"The trees," Nel lied enthusiastically. "They're so pretty!" Tia nodded absently.

"And there's a cute cat over there too, with that old lady. Wow they're both kind of old and cute!" Nel exclaimed. Tia nodded.

"Ooh and a dandelion! They say that they're weeds, but I honestly think that they're the prettiest flowers of all. And they grant wishes, if you believe what people say," she rambled. Tia smiled and hemmed amiably. They lapsed back into an awkward silence.

You sound like an idiot, Nel thought to herself angrily. Then again, at least you're trying, she isn't even pretending to be interested!

Nel had just begun nodding and joining her inner self in righteous anger when Tia spoke up.

"I love days like this," she commented, gazing off into the distance. "When the sky is just blue and it's so bright and you're with the right person at the right moment."

Her lips turned up into a slight smile, and she extended her hand to Nel. "Let's go."

Nel reached out and all but forgot her earlier worries as their fingers intertwined with each other's. "Yeah."


	12. Chapter 12

**So I wrote a long ass chapter this time, so I just decided to split it in half. This is the one that I call the "boring, but somewhat necessary half", so please read and then onto what I call the "slightly less boring half". I would post them back to back, but FanFiction edicate says at least 2 days between each chapter. I don't know where I heard that, but I'm sticking to it, so enjoy.**

**P.S. I don't own Bleach.**

* * *

Tia raised the fork to her mouth elegantly as Nel stared disbelievingly. When Tia had said "grab something to eat" she'd figured that she'd meant something quick, like a hot dog, or a sandwich, not a 5-course meal at a restaurant that she could barely afford a drink in. Tia glanced up from her pasta, sensing Nel's stare.

"Eat," she suggested, with the air of someone used to being listened to. Nel picked up her fork and robotically lifted fork to food and back to mouth, still a bit in shock. She recovered quickly though, and decided to attempt conversation.

"So, you're partner of your law firm," she started. "Soi Fon tells me that that's a really hard job."

Tia shrugged noncommittally. "It's fine as long as you're willing to put in the work, just like any other job."

Nel leaned forward, and placed her elbow on the table, forgetting her earlier resolve to seem completely sophisticated. "So you're this focused, powerful lawyer now, but what were you like before that? I'm curious."

Tia's expression darkened, and Nel got suddenly got nervous. Had she overstepped some sort of boundary? Tia, noticing the woman's reaction, rushed to explain herself. "No it's not you I just, well, I was just a very boring person before all this, nothing particularly interesting."

Nel laughed uncomfortably, nodding. "Oh um okay."

Tia grimaced inwardly, regretting that her involuntary reaction to her past had ruined a good moment. "So you're in college I'm guessing?"

Nel nodded again, recognizing that ploy to get her age, and let herself fall for it. "I'm 21, majoring in education. I want to be a kindergarten teacher."

Nel wawtched the surprise play over Tia's face, then Tia smiled, a soft one that turned her eyes a sort of baby bluish color. Nel breath caught for a moment._ I don't think I'll ever be ready for those_, she thought.

"That suits you," Tia smiled softly. They made pleasant small talk, both enjoying themselves until dessert, when Nel brought what she really wanted to know.

"When did you discover your ability and how does it work?" she asked bluntly. Tia instantly got on edge, and began glancing around the restaurant.

"I don't really think that this is the place to talk about it," she hissed quietly.

"Then let's go somewhere where we can," Nel countered.

"You left your dress at my place, so we can just go there," Tia suggested, not thinking of the implications of them going to her house after a date, even the "sort of date" that they'd had. Nel, on the other hand, was all too aware of what could go on there.

"Sure."


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey sorry guys, I didn't realize that Chapter 11 was Chapter 1 in disguise haha sorry. Anywho, here's chapter 13. **

* * *

As soon as they stepped foot into the apartment, Nel whirled expectantly. Tia sighed, and led her to a white couch.

"It started in high school, like sophomore year. I would just imagine like being someone, and it would happen. I was freaked out for a while, then I had some fun." Tia couldn't contain a bit of a

smile, which made Nel wonder just what type of fun she'd been having.

"Then I told Yoruichi." Nel felt that same pang of jealousy that she'd felt when Yoruichi had been all over Tia at the bar. All over "Uryuu" actually. Nel snorted at how dumb she'd been. Tia looked up, confused.

"Sorry, continue," Nel apologized.

"Well as for how it works," Tia began. "I can change just one feature, as long as I can imagine what I looks like." Her eyes flickered from bright red to purple, then back to their usual blue-green medley. Nel unconsciously scooted back a bit on the couch.

"I can change my whole body," Tia said, her words becoming garbles as her mouth elongated into a beach. In seconds, Nel was sitting next to a Tia-sized ostrich.

"Well that's attractive," she told ostrich-Tia.

"Isn't it?" Tia joked, shifting back to her own form. "And I can become other people." Nel suddenly found herself facing a pair of golden eyes, matching a low, purring voice.

"That's a good Yoruichi," she complimented Tia, laughing. "But, looking back, when you were Uryuu you were changing back and forth all the time weren't you? Did you want me to find to or something?"

Tia snapped back to herself quickly, blushing. "No, you were... distracting me."

"Distracting you?" Nel's brow furrowed, uncomprehending. After a moment it dawned on her. "Ohhh, distracting you... Do me a favor and turn to Uryuu-form, or whatever you call it, again, yeah?"

Tia shifted nervously and swallowed hard, her Adam's apple bobbing. "What are you thinking of?"

"So the clothes come with," Nel commented, scooting closer to the now masculine Tia.

"Nel," Tia started, in a warning tone.

Nel climbed onto Tia's lap and wrapped her arms around her neck. "Just testing your limits a little," she replied, leaning down to place a soft kiss on Tia's neck.

"Nel..." Tia repeated, with less conviction this time. She already had an erection (being very sensitive to stimulation as a guy), and was becoming more compliant by the second. Nel kissed Tia on the lips this time, lightly though, only teasing. She's never taken the lead with any of the guys she'd gone out with before, and found that she liked it. "Hm?" she replied playfully.

"Nothing," Tia said, giving in. She wrapped her arms around Nel's waist and pulled her in closer, capturing her lips in a deeper kiss. She licked her lower lip tentatively, asking for entrance. Nel parted her lips willingly, and, surprisingly, began grinding her hips slightly against the other woman's.

Nel was going so fast, and it was all too much. Tia lost it. Within five seconds, she was completely back to woman form. She leaned forward towards Nel, then backed away again, not sure that Nel would still want to continue. As she'd feared, Nel reared back, and stared at Tia, looking conflicted.

"Is it weird to say that I like these lips more?" she finally asked. Tia just laughed in reply, and pulled her down onto the couch, and pinning her down.

"Not at all," she replied, swooping down for another deep kiss.

She slid her hand upwards, unfastening Nel's bra before Nel even knew it. Nel released a quiet, fervent whimper as Tia began playing with her nipple. Tia, done with dominating Nel's mouth, lifted Nel's shirt off, discarded her bra, and took one nipple into her mouth, with kneading the other one gently, rolling it between her fingertips and pulling expertly. Nel whimpered again, louder now, then followed it with a moan. She was surprisingly sensitive and _very_ responsive to even the lightest touch.

Having lost the ability to think coherently, Nel was struggling to remember why exactly she'd been putting this off. Suddenly, she remembered. "Um, Tia," she started to squeak out between moans, when the phone rang.

Tia looked over at the counter where she'd set her phone, then back at Nel. She looked back at her phone, then at the half-naked, beautiful, and obviously turned on woman lying on her couch.

"I should get that," she said, in the regretful tone of someone choosing broccoli over a chocolate bar. She lifted herself reluctantly from the couch and strode over to the counter, checking the caller ID.

"Fucking Ichigo," she swore under her breath. She pressed the answer button, catching it on the last ring.

"Tia?" Ichigo asked, in a hushed tone that Tia knew meant trouble.

"Yes?"

"I need your help," Ichigo asked without a hint of askance in his voice. Tia sighed. Helping Ichigo always meant getting involved in high-profile criminal cases. "Let me fill you in," he continued. "The Hollows, the ones that I told you about, they're just the base group, the common thugs, hoods, small fries, whatever you want to call them." He paused to breathe.

"After some research, or infiltration to be exact, we've discovered the brains behind the Hollows. These are the schemers, the murderers, the backstabbers, you know how they are. Slippery little bastards. They call themselves the Espadas." Everything faded away for a second, and all Tia could feel was her heart beating triple time. Ichigo went on.

"And what they do,though regular hollows do it too, they tattoo these large black... holes, I guess you'd call them to symbolize something or other. The Espada's are usually more subtle, though. And larger too." Her hand unconciously found it's way to her ribs on her left side, where her heart was. Ichigo paused again, and this time Tia heard a soft, sweet voice in the background.

"I'll sleep in a second," Ichigo replied, turning back to the phone. "Sorry, now, is there anyway for you to pin something on them, get us a search warrant?"

This was a gray area for both Ichigo and Tia. While they both fought on the side of the law, thay often broke the rules in order to get the just results. It was an unspoken agreement that they had, and used only when absolutely necessary.

"I'm sorry," Tia answered, trying to keep her voice from shaking. She knew what she'd get be getting into, being involved in this, and it was something that she couldn't face again, not right now.

"It's fine," he assured her. "Thank you. You have a good one Tia." The call ended.

Tia turned to face a very curious Nel. "Sorry about that," she said,trying to regain that euphoria she'd been feeling before the call. "You were about to tell me something?" She watched curiously asa Nel turned about five shades more red.

"I was just, um, because we were going pretty fast and well um," Nel stuttered. Tia raised an eyebrow. Nel had initiated the session, but she didn't say anything. "I'm a virgin!" Nel blurted tactfully.

Tia blinked hard. Nel heard an audible gulp. "But...," she trailed off, remembering all that they'd done.

"I mean, I've kissed before, and danced before, like that, and I've gotten pretty far a few times, I just never really felt like it, you know?" Nel said, filling the silence with chatter. Tia shook her head. She didn't know.

"You should stay here tonight," she replied. "I mean, it's late, not like, I mean we're not going to, you're- you should just stay here. There's the guest room or-"

"I'll stay with you, if that's okay," Nel said sweetly, glancing at Tia from under her lashes. She might be a virgin, but Tia could tell that she had plenty of experience with asking men for things.

"Yeah, sure," Tia replied, unable to say no to those big grey eyes. After borrowing a large T-shirt and some shirts, Nel crawled into the bed beside Tia, snuggled up right next to her. Twenty one _and_ a virgin. Tia was beginning to feel more and more like a cradle robber. She put an arm around the girl, then thought for a bit. She was beginning to worry about the Espadas again. If the police were detecting them, that meant that they were in the move.

She decided to take her mind off of them by talking to Nel. She turned over to find the girl completely asleep. She looked so helpless and cute in her sleep, Tia noted. Not to mention sexy as fuck, her subconscious added deviously. Between the Espadas and Nel, she didn't get a wink of sleep .


	14. Chapter 14

**Well there we go. I don't think that it's longer than usual unfortunately, and hopefully there's not any mistakes. Sorry I'll definitely try to make it longer next time, but here it goes.**

* * *

"Seeeeex," Tia groaned into her arm as she lay her head on the diner table. She'd come to the customary breakfast with wide, hungry eyes, but had refused food. Now Yoruichi and Orihime knew why.

"You poor thing," Yoruichi murmured. She patted Tia's head sympathetically while making "_do something!_" eyes at Orihime. Orihime got the hint (_For once in her life_, Yoruichi thought) and leaned towards Tia.

"If you want to have sex with her, why don't you just ask?" she suggested kindly. "Or does she not want to?"

Tia looked up at her with murder in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something horrible and rude, then closed it again. You just couldn't be mean to Orihime, even if you were grumpy and sex-deprived.

"She wants it," she replied shortly. She closed her eyes and rested her cheek on her hand. Her eyes opened again, full of frustration. "She's just... she's just such a _virgin_."

Yoruichi eyes widened. "Nel's a... she's... are you sure?!"

"Yes, yes she's- oh my god stop drooling you pervert!" Tia exclaimed. She shoved Yoruichi off the seat. Yoruichi climbed back on with difficulty, shaking herself back to reality.

"I'm sorry I'm just, wow!" she stammered. "The only person with a body like _that_ who'd be a virgin at that age is Orihime."

Orihime blushed deeply. "T-there's nothing wrong with saving it for the right person!" she countered. "And I'm sure that you're the right person, T."

Tia gave Orihime a small smile, glad she had such a good friend. "I hope so, I just, I don't want to pressure her so I can never go any further than we already have." She ran a hand through her bright blonde hair, with a look of distress.

"Hm, a case of virgin guilt," Yoruichi began knowingly. "Now listen here kid, here's what you do..."

* * *

Nel sat in her apartment, waiting for Rangiku. She'd been reading a book when she'd felt strange, like something was bothering her. She'd looked around the cramped space, wondering just what it was. It took her a bit to realize that she was lonely. It was strange because she'd never had a problem being alone before.

_Stupid Tia_, she'd thought, reaching for the phone to call her. Then she'd paused while dialing, not wanting to be the needy girlfriend, and called up Rangiku instead. Now, and hour and a half later she was still waiting when the door burst open.

"Neliel, I was hoping that I could speak to you," Soi Fon said, in that accented, half formal way of speaking that she had. Nel sat up, happy for some company.

"Yeah that sounds great," she replied, just as Rangiku strode in, looking like she'd just stepped off of a runway, dressed in 4-inch heels, a beautiful blouse, and a short skirt. Soi Fon jumped back quickly and bowed, blushing furiously.

"I'm sorry I hadn't realized that you had company," she apologized. She stood up and made as if to walk out of the room.

"No!" Nel yelled, then paused, confused at her desperation to be friends with this girl. "It's just Rangiku. Besides, I never really learned what happened to you after Tia's party."

Soi Fon walked back into the room slowly, her guard still up. "I'm Rangiku," Rangiku introduced herself. "I'm a fashion designer, me and Nel went to school together."

Soi Fon was guarded at first, but she had come to tell her story, and with gentle prodding from the two women, her guard came down. So, with their full attention, she haltingly told her tale.

"I was trying to speak with Ms. Harribel, as I enjoy her style of law. She's a great lawyer, but I kept sensing this presence around, and I couldn't figure out who it was. Then, a woman with _purple_ hair - well I guess I should not be so surprised there are a lot of crazy hairstyles in New York - pulls me aside. I couldn't find Ms. Harribel after that, it was like she'd disappeared."

Nel blushed, knowing exactly where Tia had been at the time. She decided to save her story for later though.

"Then we're talking, and she turns out to be the _Queen of Flash_. You guys have not heard of her? Well she's known to close cases in _literally_ minutes. It is truly amazing, and we're drinking and talking and she's funny and nice and _really_ p-p-pretty. She then she k-kissed me and I just ran, but I think that I might have l-l-liked it."

By this time Soi Fon's face was completely red. Nel stared at her, head cocked to the side. It was so strange, seeing this side of the usually cold Chinese girl. She was gushing like a teenage girl. Rangiku was not as impressed.

"You like her," she stated bluntly. "What're you waiting for? Go find her."

"You don't think I tried that?" Soi Fon countered. She was back to her old self, giving Rangiku an "_Are you an idiot?_" face. "I don't know how to contact her."

"Lucky for you," Nel interrupted, "I know how to contact her." Soi Fon's expression stayed the same, as she attempted to hide her interest.

"How?" she asked casually. Nel let out an evil cackle.

"You'll have to listen to my story first!" Rangiku leaned forward, eyes shining. If there was anything she loved more than clothes, it was a juicy story.

"Ooh is this about club man?" she queried playfully.

"Um...no?" Nel replied, unsure of how make the story work. "But I met a woman who looked exactly like him, and that's how the whole romantic story began."

"Is _everyone_ a lesbian now?" Rangiku demanded irately. She flipped her hair, letting it drift in slow motion back into place. "Well if you don't want him, can I have him? He was too handsome for _life_."

"_No_!" Nel snapped. She breathed deeply, reining herself back in. "And so it was Tia, as you probably guessed Soi Fon, and that's why I was invited to her party, except we were trying to be friends. But then, at the party, when she disappeared-"

"No! Not you, the Virgin Mary?" Rangiku asked. Soi Fon stared at Nel in awe.

"You're... not a virgin?" she asked Soi Fon weakly. Soi Fon shook her head with vehemence, trying to hold in laughter.

"Well _anyway_," Nel huffed, blushing. "We didn't, but it got pretty far, and I kind of said another guy's name during that time, and she got really pissed. But then, I stayed over and left a note that said sorry and she forgave me and we went on a date. But she took me to a really expensive restaurant, and I had left my dress, so I went home with her, and we did stuff again, but she got a call, so no such luck. And I told her I was a virgin. Then I slept over again, but next to her this time, and I kind of lifted her shirt while she was asleep and there was this big, black, circle tattoo right under her boob, where her heart is."

Rangiku and Soi Fon looked at her with their eyes wide. "Wait so... basically you slept over two times but _didn't_ have sex, and she has a weird tattoo?" Rangiku summed it up.

"Yes, and I want to," Nel digressed.

"You, Mother Teresa, want to have sex?" Rangiku quipped. Soi Fon, who'd been trying so hard to hold in her laughter, just let it all out. Rangiku let loose too, and they laughed until tears streamed down their faces.

"She's the opposite of a slut!" Rangiku yelled, trying desperately to catch her breath. Soi Fon nodded her agreement.

"She's a leg crosser, a-a-a-a I don't know, but she's a _virgin_!" she wheezed. That sent them off into another round of laughter. After a very long five minutes, they'd finally calmed down to occasional giggles.

"Are you guys done?" Nel asked coldly, despite the fact that she'd been chuckling too. Rangiku wiped away her last tears, and regained her calm, mature appearance. She flipped her hair over her shoulder again, and began her diagnosis.

"Basically, she's feeling virgin guilt," she informed them. "She wants you, but also doesn't want to hurt you, or feel like she's pushing you into something that you don't want to do. You have to show her that you want it too."

"But I always respond when we do stuff," Nel muttered to herself. Rangiku shook her head.

"Not enough. You have to show her that you _really_ want it, or she'll be too hesitant to do anything. See, here's what you do..."


	15. Chapter 145

**Just a kind of intermediate chapter. I'm working on the next one, but I keep forgetting the details of my other chapters like, "Is he old enough to do that?" and "Wait is she supposed to be scared of that?" so that's why I've been taking so long. Oh, who am I kidding, that was just half the time. I've been reading other stories, but do not fear! the story must go on. Or something. Anyway here's something to keep you busy while I work on 15.**

**Also, I don't own Bleach.**

* * *

Tia was not whipped. No matter what Yoruichi said. But she had to admit that she was being much more compliant with Nel than she was with anyone else. Of course, that didn't mean that she was whipped. But she couldn't help but notice that she was going to the park for a picnic despite disliking public places. As a matter of fact, a picnic was on of those cutesy, public things that she usually avoided at all costs. _Am I whipped?_

She shook her head, ridding herself of those thoughts, and smiled, eager to meet Nel. She spotted her under a tree near the edge of the park looking nervous. She was sitting on a plaid blanket with a wicker basket, the whole shebang. Tia walked over with a grin, plopping down onto the blanket. _Even in just jeans and a T-shirt…wow._

"Um – excuse me?" Nel asked, politely but uncomfortably, turning to look at her. Tia leaned back, peeking into the basket. She pulled out a little sandwich. It was cut into triangles with the crust cut off. _How cute!_ Tia thought to herself, trying to keep her expression neutral as she took a bite of the sandwich.

"What the hell?" Nel yelled, facing Tia completely now. "Can you not? I'm waiting for someone, and you're being a real creep." Tia laughed, bringing in the sandwich for another bite and running a hand through her hair. Nel's eyes widened, recognizing the familiar motion. "Tia?"

Tia looked to the left, then the right. Nobody was looking, thankfully. "Hey," she said, still combing her fingers through now-blonde hair. Nel sat still for a moment, shell-shocked.

"Are you _crazy_? You scared the shit out of me, and someone could've seen you! Oh my god I hate you!" Tia offered a rueful smile as an apology before finishing her sandwich, brushing crumbs off of her face.

"That was good," she smiled, leaning forward to capture Nel's lips between her own. "That too."

"What, but why would you change in public?" Nel hissed, eyes narrowing. "I thought that we were being safe!" Steam was practically pouring out of her ears at this point. Tia reached into the basket for another sandwich.

"But I wanted to kiss you." Nel looked confused.

"You couldn't do that without shifting?" Tia glanced around, biting her lip. Nel was staring at her, expecting an answer. And she really didn't want to say it. Nel was growing impatient. "Well?"

"I...you...kiss...guy," she mumbled. Nel raised an eyebrow questioningly. Tia spoke up, a faint blush on her face. "If I kissed you like that it would look like you were kissing some random guy." Tia proceeded to avoid Nel's gaze while Nel had a miniature heart attack. She wasn't used to Tia being the uncertain, blushing one.

Nel recovered, and decided to get over her awkwardness by attacking Tia. She knocked on the older woman's head. "Hello? Anyone in there?" Tia's hand shot up faster than Nel's eyes could track. They smiled playfully, enjoying the moment. Then suddenly, the atmosphere changed. They were staring and staring, and though it should have been uncomfortable, it wasn't. Tia blinked, and then suddenly reality started seeping in again. "I don't want to let go," Tia admitted.

"I-uh-" Nel stuttered, her face getting pinker by the second. Tia, misinterpreting her reaction, dropped her wrist like a hot potato, chuckling. She scooted back on the blanket. "Sorry about that, I get a little weird sometimes."

"I like it," Nel replied casually. She turned to her basket. "We should eat. I brought these sandwiches that you were snacking on and these little sausage things that I slaved over, I really can't cook. But I think that they turned out pretty well. By which I mean edible of course so don't d- what?"

"You're so cute," Tia explained, reaching up to play with a lock of turquoise hair. She was this inexplicable urge to be in contact with the girl. She laughed when the younger woman blushed again. "Bit overly conscious."

"I'm not!" Nel protested, her spreading blush begging to differ. By then it had reached her collarbone, which Tia did not hesitate to kiss, letting her lips linger long enough for a glance at Nel's face. Nel fought for control of the blush, but couldn't stop her breathing from getting heavier.

"Never seen someone so responsive," Tia muttered to herself after detaching from Nel. _Must be a virgin thing_. She fell back onto the blanket as Nel blinked quickly, trying to remember where she was. After accomplishing that, she looked over at Tia in confusion.

"Public," was the woman's one word explanation. Nel nodded as if she understood, then was plagued with detrimental thoughts, mostly centering on, _Does she not want to be seen in public with me?_

"Calm down," Tia laughed, poking Nel's nose. "I just meant that I might not have been able to stop, and we're in public. You think too much." Nel flushed again, but smiled, liking the woman's carefree attitude. This was the first time she'd seen her so talkative and relaxed.

"Sorry I get so nervous," she said. "You're always so calm and centered, and here I am just this nervous, blushing mess because I never know what to do, or what's next, or if we're going fast or slow. Not to mention that I'm with the most beautiful woman in New York." Tia turned towards Nel.

"Well, we're not exactly taking the normal route of a relationship, so why set a pace? We'll just go. But I don't think slow is an option the way you keep assaulting me." Humor gleamed in her eyes, but it was replaced with worry as a smirk grew on Nel's face.

"I didn't want to have to bring this up," Nel began smugly. "But you keep teasing about those times, so now I have to." Tia stood strong, a bit of humor still evident in her eyes. Whatever Nel had couldn't be nearly as good as Nel practically jumping on her.

"You say I'm a perv, but do you know how many times I felt your hard on when were dancing?" At that, Tia buried her face into the blanket. Nel sat tall, her smirk wider now, relishing Tia's reaction.

After a few seconds a muffled voice arose from the blanket. "That is _so_. _Embarrassing_." Nel just couldn't help it. She burst out laughing, little gasps between each bout of laughter. Tia sulked, then joined in, rolling over and pulling the smaller woman into her arms. "Sorry about that."

Nel laughed again, not the victorious cackle of a few seconds ago, but just a simple, genuinely happy laugh. "It's okay. Even though it was pretty... uncomfortable, it was nice knowing like exactly when you wanted me." She shifted nervously. She always ended up saying more than she meant to around Tia, and was always unsure what the woman's reaction would be.

"Well that's easy to fix," Tia replied. She leaned in close to Nel's ear, her voice a low purr. "I want you all the time." _Cheesy but true_, Tia thought to herself, as she tracked the progression of Nel's blush. _I wonder how far that goes._

And then she was leaning in further to catch a glimpse. She jerked back, blaming her movement of a fly. Her fingers combed through her hair with agitation. _This thing that Yoruichi's planning better go well._


	16. Chapter 15

**Well it took me a while, and for good reason. This is my longest chapter yet, so I hope it's enjoyable for you all. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

* * *

"This is nice," Tia admitted reluctantly. Yoruichi smiled, the smug, feline grin that she knew Tia despised. Tia struggled to find something wrong with the place, but couldn't, so she grasped at what little ammunition she had. "I thought we were going to the amusement park? What happened?"

"Well we were, but then these two wanted to come along," Yoruichi explained, gesturing to Rangiku and her date who was, surprisingly, the white haired boy from the diner. "And _someone's_ too short for all the good rides."

Rangiku held Hitsugaya back as he headed for Yoruichi, sleeves rolled up. "Let's just go in," Nel suggested hurriedly, trying to prevent a fight that Yoruichi looked all too happy to participate in. Tia smiled, and grabbed the younger woman's hand, squeezing it appreciatively as Yoruichi gagged.

The group, consisting of Nel, Tia, Yoruichi, Soi Fon, Rangiku, and Hitsugaya, filed into the date location that Yoruichi had chosen. Tia took in the smoky, mysterious feel of the room, breathing in a scent that whispered of older times. She nodded approvingly at the tall, lanky man at the bar, serving drinks in a black vest, dress shirt, and bow tie. And, most of all, she smiled at the jazzy piano music filtering from the stage to her right. It was a physical manifestation of Tia: dark, mysterious, and classy. "Perfect," she sighed.

Yoruichi and Rangiku (_Of course_, Nel thought) went to get drinks while the rest went to claim a couple of the tables that were littered across the room. After they'd pushed them together, Tia went to drinks for Nel and herself. "I don't trust anything that those two bring back," she'd whispered to Nel.

Nel chuckled, watching Tia lean on the bar, in her element. She could only observe as the older woman talked to the bartender, touching his wrist as he handed her the drink and laughing with him for a bit before she returned. She broke off the conversation smoothly, and glided back over to the table, looking very much the cool beauty. "You have a flirt a bit to get quick service."

Though Nel heard the woman's murmured words, they didn't quite register as she really took in the woman's appearance. She was in a short, dark blue dress that stopped at mid-thigh which, despite not being overly tight, still clung to the woman's curves sinfully. Nel let her eyes trail upwards, lingering on the woman's breasts, then lifting to her full lips and concerned eyes.

"Nel are you okay?" Rangiku broke in in an overly concerned voice, a smirk on her face. Nel pulled her eyes from Tia's, and glanced around the table. Hitsugaya and Soi Fon were staring with earnest concern while Rangiku and Yoruichi were doing their best to pretend. Nel blushed, managing to say,"Y-yeah, I just feel a little dizzy, I'll go get some water."

She felt their concerned stares as she walked away, but kept looking forward, face burning. "_Nel_?"

She turned, doing her best to look casual. It was some of the girls from her class who she'd been hanging out with for a while. Their heavy makeup and skin-tight dresses clashed horribly with the classy feel of the place, but they paraded towards her, blissfully unaware. They'd never really clicked with her. But they'd also never been unkind to her, so she stopped to talk. "Hey guys," she replied awkwardly. "What're you guys doing here?"

"Girl's night out!" One of the girls replied in a happy voice. Her expression slowly morphed from bubbliness to confusion. "Wait, didn't you say that you had plans with family tonight?" Nel winced. She should have known better than to lie. She had horrible karma, and awkward situations like this were constantly happening to her.

"Yeah, they got cancelled, so I came here with some of my-" She broke off suddenly, glancing back at the table. She had come here with Tia. _Should I mention my girlfriend? How will they react? How will they act around me in the future? But this is the woman who I was about to sleep with, this is real, shouldn't they know? Will this change everything and make them uncomfortable or maybe they'll be disgusted and never want to even be around me anymore and tell everyone how disgusting I am and maybe no one will want to be around me anymore._ "-friends. I came with some new friends that I met around the city." The group's focus wasn't really on her words anymore.

Their posture became less threatening and they leaned forward excitedly. "Ooh well where did you meet _him_? Because I might need to go there more often." Her friend tittered behind her as they murmured about how cute Hitsugaya was.

"I wouldn't let my friend over there hear that," Nel warned, a sparkle in her eye. "She'd probably rip your throat out or something." The girls gasped, looking over at Rangiku with a mixture of fear and revulsion. Nel hurried to correct herself. "No, no she's not like a psycho or anything, it was just a joke, or a figure of speech or whatever." The girls broke into relieved giggles.

"Oh. My. God." Brittany squealed, emphasizing each word. She had been a cheerleader in high school. "That's Soi Fon, from our class isn't it?"

"I didn't know that she was like _that_," one of the other girls murmured. A group of people had cleared away some of the chairs and tables to make a makeshift dance floor. Couples swayed slowly when the music was slow, and began more complicated dances when the music sped up. Since it was old-fashioned music, most were doing dances that Nel had never heard of like the jitterbug or foxtrot or patty whack or something. And there, right in the middle, were Yoruichi and Soi Fon. They could've been just friends, of course, but something about the way that they held each other, and looked into each others eyes said differently. Nel snapped her head back to the girls to gage their reactions.

They looked confused and slightly put off, but also interested. "Hey she's pretty hot," one of them commented after a lengthy pause. The rest nodded in agreement uncomfortably. Nel sighed in relief. At least they weren't homophobic.

"If you say so," Brittany replied. She flipped her blonde locks. "Well if I were to go lesbian on you all, it would be someone like that sexy piano player up there." Nel blinked hard, two times. The last time that she'd checked, the piano player had been an old man with saggy chin skin. Not exactly lesbian material. But when she turned to verify what her brain was saying, she found that there was a sexy woman up there. _Her_ sexy woman.

"Holy shit, that's Tia up there," Rangiku slurred. A splash of amber liquid slopped out of the side of the shot glass she held. "Hey who did that?" she yelled drunkenly, glaring around the room. Her face brightened considerably as she turned back to Nel. "So you do it yet?" Nel bit her lip. Rangiku laughed raucously. "You're going to chicken out! I knew it, Nels-bells!"

Nel thought. Rangiku was her best friend and did know her best, so it would make sense that she was correct, right? Besides, what if Nel wasn't good in bed? Or worse, what if Tia didn't want her once she saw her untoned, flabby body? She winced at the harsh thought. _Maybe..._ "Maybe I'll just sit this one out, try again when I'm more experienced or something." Rangiku's eyebrows flew up at the statement.

"Are you going to... practice?" Nel paused, what she'd said registering in her mind. "Well I could..." she began. Her face started to get pink. "...I guess myself..." Her face was now bright red, rivaling the color of a tomato. "...think about her..." Just when Rangiku thought that Nel would explode from all the pent up embarrassment, the tinkling of a songs opening notes began to ring through the room. It was Tia, and she was literally playing the sweetest melody that Nel had ever heard. _Can she get anymore perfect?_ Nel groaned to herself. Then she sang.

_I've been beaten down,_

_I've been kicked around, _

_But she takes it all for me._

Though the piano bar had been abuzz just a few seconds before, anyone there would testify that when Tia began singing up there on the stage, the room fell silent. Everyone had fallen spell to the melodious alto voice that was drifting through the room. Nel listened to Tia's voice with her whole body, just drinking it in. And Tia looked at Nel unwaveringly, letting all of her feelings flow out of her. When Nel tried to relate the story another time she could only describe it as honey, and soft white lights, and a mother and child hugging all mixed up into a sound.

_And I lost my faith_

_ in my darkest days, _

_But she makes me want to believe. _

_They call her love, love, love, love, love. _

_They call her love, love, love, love, love. _

_She is love, and she is all I need. _

_She's all I need. _

By this time, Nel had recovered from complete paralysis, and swiveled around to face her friends. They were staring at the stage, eyes wide, with awed expressions on their faces. About half of them were blushing for some unknown reason. It was like they had chanced upon the sight of something so intimate that they couldn't even react. Another few had their mouths hanging open, transfixed. Nel smirked, proud of her catch, and glad that it was someone that could capture even her shallowest of friends. She turned back to Tia to let her know that she got it loud and clear.

_Well I had my ways, _

_they were all in vain, _

_But she waited patiently. _

_It was all the same, _

_all my pride and shame, _

_And she put me on my feet. _

_They call her love, love, love, love, love. _

_They call her love, love, love, love, love. _

_They call her love, love, love, love, love. _

_She is love, and she is all I need. _

_And when that world slows down, dear. _

_And when those stars burn out, here. _

_Oh she'll be here, yes she'll be here._

This verse was sung very quietly, almost is a hushed whisper. It screamed of vulnerability, and was obviously more of a question than a definite statement. Nel felt her heart clench, and felt an inkling of guilt over her shallow pride earlier. Tia deserved better than that.

_They call her love, love, love, love, love. _

_They call her love, love, love, love, love. _

_They call her love, love, love, love. love. _

_She is love, and she is all I need, _

_She is love, and she is all I need, _

_She is love, and she is all I need._

Tia looked down at the piano for the finishing note, then immediately glanced back up to find Nel's eyes again. She hadn't been counting on the bright lights and smoke to be obscuring her vision, having gotten used to it before she'd looked down at the piano. She raised a hand to her forehead to block out the light, and squinted. Left corner, no. Right corner, no. Table, no. Bar, no. She began to panic when she finally caught a glimpse of turquoise hair right before Nel ducked into a dark hallway. Tia scrambled up from her seat on the piano bench and hurried to the stairs at the edge of the stage. The manager stood there rubbing his hands. "Let me tell you that was something. Now if you'd like, we can offer-"

Tia was gone before he finished his sentence. People were popping up left and right to congratulate Tia on her great performance, some even offering opportunities for her. Well, they attempted to. Tia, tall and built like a fighter, was bulldozing through the crowd so fast that people's eyes could barely follow her, let alone their bodies. Some were so adamant about her voice that they attempted to intercept her. After the first few went flying, they knew better than to try that again. Tia had to know, at that moment, what the hell was going through Nel's mind, and why she slipped off. If Nel didn't want to be seen with her, or didn't like her the same way, that was fine by Tia. It wouldn't affect her at all. She would just keep pushing on, like she always did. She told herself this repeatedly as she approached the hallway, but couldn't help but get a growing sense of dread in the pit of her stomach.

"Nel?" she whispered tentatively into the darkness. In a sickeningly fast motion, she was tugged into the hallway and pinned against the wall. "Nel," she breathed. It was not a question. The feeling of her back against the wall combined with the sound of Nel's breathing pushed Tia over the edge. She'd wanted to wait and let Nel make the move and gain confidence by being on the offensive, but she was done with that. She grabbed Nel's waist, turning them around so that it was Nel's back against the wall. She attacked Nel's lips, sucking and biting until they were red and swollen. At this point, Nel was just trying to keep up, and didn't realize how much she liked Tia sucking on her tongue until she heard her own moan echoing in the dark hallway.

She wrapped her arms around Tia's neck as Tia squeezed her ass. Nel groaned, and pulled Tia ever closer. She grabbed one of Tia's hands and pulled it up to her breast. She wanted this. She moaned again as Tia kneaded, giving up thinking in favor of mindless pleasure. Her nipples pushed against the fabric of her bra and she whimpered involuntarily as Tia's hand began a slow descent. Her eyes closed and her breathing intensified in anticipation, and then flew open when it didn't come.

"Nel?" Tia inquired softly. She looked concerned again, and had good reason. Nel was supporting her weight fully on the wall, and looked as if she was about to pass out. She answered with a noise that sounded suspiciously like a moan. "Let's go babe," Tia murmured into her ear. Though she was eager, she still didn't want her girlfriend's first time to be in the dark hallway of some random piano bar.

Nel said goodbye to her friends from school with a vague explanation about her and Tia, ignoring their responses. Their goodbyes with the group didn't have spoken replies, just a series of suggestive looks and dirty gestures from Yoruichi and Rangiku. Nel was blushing the entire time. Every time she started to calm down, she remembered how she'd been in the hallway and flushed again. _Did I have to be that _vocal_?_ she asked herself. She sighed and shook her head. _How do I act when we get there? Should I make the first move since I did before? I still haven't touched her boobs... they're so big. I wonder what sound she'd make if I played with her nipples - wow, I really just thought that._

"Where are we going?" Nel asked to get her mind off of... things. Even in the dark, her surroundings seemed to be getting increasingly familiar. Tia turned, tugging Nel along by their interlaced fingers. "Your place." A mixture of shock and horror washed over Nel's entire being. She hadn't cleaned her apartment since the first time that Tia had been over! "_Fuck fuck fuck_," she muttered to herself, adjusting her game plan. If she rushed in first, rinsed the dirty dishes, threw the clothes into the washing machine, and... was there some way to make it bigger?

Nel unlocked the door, and pulled it slowly, the creak of the hinges lasting a lifetime. Her eyes widened and face flushed. She tried to speed up. She couldn't. The creaking persisted, now at a very awkward length. Nel breathed a sigh of relief when the door was finally open, and turned to find Tia hunched against the wall shaking with silent laughter. "Shut up!" she pouted while Tia cracked up. She even went so far as to stomp her foot. She'd never felt so dumb before, and her inflamed face was showing it.

Tia felt her way over to Nel and brushed her tears away with a finger. "Sorry." Nel continued to glare, her cheeks red with embarrassment. Tia put her hand on one, and pulled Nel up to her mouth for a kiss. "Sorry," she repeated afterwards. Nel proceeded to pull her into her apartment by the hand. She was a very forgiving person. The place was surprisingly clean. Nel thanked her past self for being the type of person who cleans when she's bored. But even though that issue was resolved, Nel didn't really know what to do. Now that the blind passion of the hallway was gone, she wasn't quite sure how to casually bring it back. Also, her apartment was small.

"Stop," Tia commanded. Nel blinked, confused. Tia brushed her thumb against the shorter woman's plush pink lips, then took them between her own. Nel wrapped her arms around Tia's neck again, pulling her closer, and deepening the kiss. Her knees weakened as their tongues slid against each other. Tia sat down hard on the couch, and Nel settled on to her lap, which was quickly becoming her favorite spot. _The mission today, men, is cop a feel of those tit_s, her brain ordered in a sergeant's voice. (She was getting kind of ridiculous at this point.) Nel agreed happily, but instead got a reverse achievement when Tia began feeling her own.

Nel moaned loudly, throwing her head back. She felt the strap of her dress sliding down onto the sides of her shoulders, and the bouncing of her breast's release from the fabric. She was just wearing a plain white bra, but the way that Tia looked at it, one would think that it held the key to the universe. After a couple more minutes of heated kisses, this straps too were coming off. Tia broke of the kiss and reached up to the clasp while giving Nel a questioning look. Nel nodded, then buried her face in Tia's neck to hide her blush. _Well, while I'm here..._

She began placing sloppy, open-mouthed kisses up Tia's neck, and was rewarded with a moan. She grinned out of Tia's sight, then leaned back so that Tia could take off her bra. She moaned even louder than before as Tia circled her nipples, dying of anticipation. A squeal of surprise escaped her as Tia pinched her nipples, then took one into her mouth. She began rolling the right between her fingertips as she sucked and licked the left. Sometime throughout this, she had straddled Tia's thigh to become more comfortable. Now she learned that it served a dual purpose as she ground her hips against the smooth skin. Her moans became loud and more frequent as she ground her soaked core against the taut muscle of Tia thigh faster and faster.

She felt something building, then a rush of pleasure like she'd never felt before rushed through her. She threw her head back and _screamed_, the sound echoing against the walls. She fell back onto the couch, chest heaving with every breath. Then, she caught sight of Tia, who wore a self satisfied smirk, and the wet spot on her thigh. She blushed so hard that she thought that she would explode. "I-I-"

"Came all over my lap?" Tia finished for her. Her smirk grew wider. "Have I told you before that your blush goes really far?"

"I think you have actually," Nel chuckled. The bounce of her breasts suddenly reminded her that she was laying on the couch in nothing but her soaked underwear. She blushed harder and scrambled up to stand. "I should probably go uh-"

"No." She turned back to Tia, confused. The woman had gone from playful to serious in a split second. Her eyes, usually a sparkling blue-green, now looked dark and kind of dangerous. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not done with you," Tia explained, grabbing Nel's wrist and pulling her roughly back down onto the couch. Nel lay back onto the couch, her grey eyes wide with surprise. She started to protest that she was tired, but then realized that she wasn't at all. All her weariness had been pushed aside. Now she just felt... kind of turned on. _You lied to me_, she accused her body.

There were no sweet kisses to warm her up this time. Tia went straight to hot, sloppy kisses full of tongues and passion. Nel shuddered as Tia placed a hand on her breast. She moaned with pleasure. She was going to come from having her breasts groped again if this kept up. She whimpered as the delicious pressure disappeared, and arched her back in an effort to feel that touch again. Then Tia's hand was shoved down into her underwear, playing with her wet folds. Nel made a sound of pleasure that she couldn't even define. "You're soaked," Tia purred, showing Nel her fingers, slick with the proof of Nel's arousal before dalving back down.

Nel shuddered as she felt Tia's thumb brush against her soaked clit. Tia, noting the reaction played with the bundle of nerves, gaining increasingly frequents moans and whimpers from Nel. Nel once again felt a lack of pressure and really whimpered now, like a forlorn puppy. She thrust her hips up into the air, literally offering herself to Tia. Tia lowered herself until she was almost pressed Nel's writhing figure. "What do you want me to do?"

_She- she wants me to... _Nel wrestled with herself, stuck between her pride, and the growing need between her thighs. She started to lift off of the the couch, then drooped back down when she realized that she couldn't. Face inflamed, she whispered, "F-fuck me."

Tia leaned in, a crooked smile now in place. "I didn't quite hear you there." Nel lifted her chin high, or as high as it would go when laying back on a couch. She parted her lips, taking deep breaths, causing her breasts to heave up and down. She licked her lips and spread her legs tantalizingly. "_Fuck_. _Me_."

She smirked as Tia's eyes darkened. Point one, Nel. She had planned on torturing Tia more as payback, but her smug sentence was interrupted by the feeling of Tia's finger sliding into her. It was surprising and new and- _And sooooooo good..._ her mind crooned. She was melting all around this, this _feeling_ which was the only thing keeping her together and, and- _the walls! They're thin!_

She clapped a hand to her mouth immediately, slightly stifling the noisy moans that had been rolling off of her tongue all night. Tia, in response, sped up, one thrust swiftly following the other. Nel's hips bucked to meet each thrust with her own. She moaned against her hand, dignity overruling her need to scream. Then Tia curled her finger, and Nel lost it. Her hand slid off of her mouth and she moaned so loud that it reverberated off the walls. Her back arched and she screamed again. "_Tia_!"

Tia slowed, but didn't stop as she felt Nel clench around her finger, letting her ride out the orgasm. Nel finally collapsed onto the couch, with a bit of deja vu. She yawned, a real jaw-cracker, then turned to look at Tia. Tia, looking like a goddess of lust in her dress. In her dress. That she was still wearing. "Oh my god!" Nel exclaimed, looking horrified. "Tia, I mean I can, I'm so sorry, I, wow, inconsiderate, should I-"

"Nel," Nel interrupted, with a knowing look. "Rest. I'll be fine. Besides, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." She winked with a cocky smile. Nel tried not to imagine what that implied, or she might nor be able to sleep, despite being dead tired. She yawned again, tears forming int he corners of her eyes now. "I need to shower," she yawned, stretching. She squealed in surprise as Tia scooped her into her arms, carrying her easily to her room. "Tomorrow," she ordered firmly. "You're dead on your feet."

She proceeded to throw her some sleeping clothes and usher her into the bathroom to change. Nel did so, yawning loudly throughout the process. She came out to find Tia in one of her old T-shirts and a pair of shorts. She stopped to appraise her girlfriend, standing there in her too-small clothes and looking like a model. "No," Tia said firmly, denying her."Sleep." She must've seen the look in the shorter woman's eyes. Nel sighed and crawled underneath the covers, celebrating the feeling of her head again the pillow. Shortly after, Tia clambered in beside her. Nel scooted over a wrapped an arm around her waist, checking her face to make sure that it was okay. Tia smiled, draping an arm around her as well.

"So what do you want to do now?" she asked. She really couldn't help herself, she had to know. _She probably wants you to fuck her_, she replied to herself. She shook those thoughts out of her head again, and listened for Tia's response. She listened so long that she'd thought Tia was asleep when the reply had drifted quietly over to her. It sounded like a different person from the confident, sexy voice from earlier. "Well, when you're ready I guess, I want you to move in."

"Tia?" she asked the darkness. Tia replied with a nudge. "I'm ready."

The next morning, Nel woke up feeling hot, and rather sticky. She creaked her way carefully to the edge of her old mattress and was sliding slowly out when she heard Tia mumble. "I'm going to take a shower," she whispered to the older woman, lightly brushing her blonde hair with her fingers. An irate grumble drifted up from the sleeping figure. Nel smiled, and head into the bathroom to shower.

As she turned on the water, she suddenly realized that she'd forgotten towels. And there was nothing worse then scrubbing with your hands, then taking the freezing cold, sopping wet run to the towel cabinet. She creeped quietly into her adjoined bedroom, careful not to disturb Tia in her sleep when she heard the voices. They were coming from outside off her bedroom, and she froze, her heart pounding.

"-understand what's wrong with you it'll be fine!" She knew this voice almost as well as she new her own. It the same voice that had grumbled at her, half asleep, just a few minutes ago. But Tia sounded more than lucid, she sounded furious.

"It's dangerous having someone around that-" The voice became softened again, but Nel had already identified it. It had the unmistakable feline quality of Yoruichi's very distinctive voice. It began to rise again with emotion. "-and it is for her too!" They were talking about her. Even though she knew now that they weren't burglars or mass murderers, her heart just wouldn't calm down.

"-safer than with me?"

"-use her to get-"

"-won't let them do-"

"You know that they can and will." This was Yoruichi again, her voice literally shaking with emotion. It wasn't loud enough to be yelling, but was far from the hushed whispers that they were obviously supposed to be speaking in. "You know, and you're pretending right now that you're not putting her and yourself in serious danger!"

"What am I supposed to do, tell her 'I changed my mind, you cant move in?'" Tia's voice was raised as well, louder than Nel had ever heard it before. "Besides, I want her around me, I want to be around her, and I think... I think I might love her." However quickly Nel's heart had been beating before, it was nothing compared to the rate that it was going now. She was scared that if she didn't calm down, she would have a heart attack and die right there. She had to get out of there somehow. This didn't seem like a conversation that she was supposed to overhear.

"Oh yeah, because your love has led you so well before," Yoruichi replied, the sneer evident in her voice. The statement was met with silence. It was obvious that she had crossed some line that Nel had yet to learn about. When Tia finally spoke again, her voice was cold.

"I don't need you to protect me or us. I'll be fine without you, just like I was before you came. You are dismissed."

"Tia-"

"Leave," Tia commanded. It was obvious that the conversation was over. Nel began to tiptoe, millimeter by millimeter until she reached the shower and crept underneath the water. She showered in silence, mulling over what she'd heard, and how she was going to act when went back into the bedroom. She was so focused on the task at hand that it wasn't until much later that she realized that she hadn't heard any doors open or close.

* * *

"Sooo, what do you guys like, _do_?" the girl asked confusedly. It had been well over two months since the people at the university had found out about Nel being a lesbian, and the fuss had yet to die down. Soi Fon had somehow managed to nip her rumor in the bud, but Nel's business had been all over the college by the time she'd arrived on Monday. Apparently, at the piano bar, rather intoxicated with sex, she hadn't answered with a vague explanation of her and Tia's relationship. Instead, she had left with a statement about how her and her girlfriend (the piano player) were leaving to go fuck. Now she had girls saying that they liked her, perverted guys asking about their sex life, perverted girls asking about their sex life, girls asking her if _they_ were lesbians, and even people pointing her out as they walked by like, "Hey, you see her there? That's the lesbian!"

The worst time had been when Tia had come to pick her up in a black sports car. "I didn't know you have a car," Nel had hissed. "I got for the occasion," Tia had smirked back. And then that one guy who kept saying that he'd turn her straight had confronted Tia, and it had gotten real messy then.

Throughout the ordeal, though, she still had her closest friends, Soi Fon and Rangiku, and surprisingly, the supporting character girls from the piano bar in her corner. And she had Tia, of course. Despite the conversation outside of her door that morning, her and Tia had had lots of fun moving in all of her stuff. They delighted in learning new things about each other and, even though they discovered thing about each other that annoyed them, they liked nothing more than to be in each other's company. The only major aspect of their lives that had changed since before Nel moved was the absence of Yoruichi. Nel wanted so desperately to ask Tia what had been so offensive as to separate her from her best friend, but kept her mouth shut. She knew, even without asking, that Yoruichi was a taboo subject. So the couple did their best to pretend, and make themselves believe, that she had never existed.

That was precisely the reason why, on a gray Tuesday, Yoruichi was shocked to open her door and find a sobbing Nel looking up at her angrily. "Where is she?" Nel demanded.

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**Song: She Is Love - Parachute**


	17. Chapter 16

**Hey guys, so I have extreme writer's block for this story, in fact it seems that I can't even write for it anymore right now so it's on a temporary hiatus until I stop being so distracted by this other story in my head. So, because just author notes are not allowed, here's one last chapter. And I'll just apologize beforehand for stopping now, but I just had this drop of perfect idea before my well dried up :P Sorry. Thank you everyone for the reviews, they kept me writing haha.**

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"Where is she?" Nel repeated. Yoruichi replied with a carefully rehearsed blank look. Nel gritted her teeth pushing down the animal inside that was rising up. She slammed a fist against the doorway. Yoruichi didn't flinch, and instead pasted on a huge grin, a mockery of her real smiles. "What are you talking about Nel?"

"You...you know what I'm talking about!" Nel panted. Her eyes pricked with furious tears. She took a deep breath, then another. "Where did Tia go?" Yoruichi's expression melded into a confused frown. She opened her mouth to talk. Nel slammed her fist against the frame of the door again, harder this time. She caught a flash of movement in the background, and snapped her head towards the movement, hoping to catch tan, long limbs and a head of blonde hair. Instead she saw Soi Fon, wrapped in the blanket looking pissed.

"This couldn't wait until morning?" she demanded irately. Nel turned her glare onto Soi Fon, who flinched, not used to such a wild look on her friend's features.

"No." the word was practically a growl. "It _couldn't_ wait til morning because-" A full-body flinch overtook Nel. Yoruichi, now genuinely concerned, stepped forward and put a hand on Nel's shoulder. Another convulsion wracked Nel's body. She shrugged off Yoruichi's hand and ran to the sink, just barely visible from the doorway and promptly threw up.

Soi Fon was beside her in a second, sheets tucked into a makeshift dress for better mobility. "Are you okay? Are you sick?"

Nel lifted her head, wiping her mouth on her sleeve in a most unladylike fashion. "It can't wait until morning," she spat. "-because I'm pregnant."


End file.
